Chapter 113 Extra 1: Band IF Crane Kite: But I think Yuan Mi…

Parallel universe IF scenario / All characters survive without any attacks / Inspired by the 2nd anniversary animated short film

1.

"Boy friend?!"

A soprano voice rang out in the practice room. The purple-haired girl stared in shock at the white-haired man tuning his guitar, the drumsticks falling from her hand onto the wooden floor with a thud.

The other three people in the practice room turned their gazes toward them.

The white-haired man, Jing Yuan, who was being stared at by four pairs of eyes, stopped what he was doing and explained, "Yes, my boyfriend. He went back to China yesterday, and I tried to confess to him. He said he could give it a try."

"He's going back to China???" The purple-haired girl who spoke first—Bai Heng—was full of gossip. "He wouldn't happen to be your white moonlight or something, would he, Xiao Jingyuan?"

Jingyuan blushed and gave a vague answer, neither admitting nor denying it.

Bai Heng said thoughtfully, "No wonder you go abroad every year during your holidays, and even applied to universities abroad before. It turns out your heart isn't here; you've flown to foreign lands!"

"Sister Bai Heng!" Jing Yuan called out anxiously.

Bai Heng knew there was a limit to teasing children, so he didn't say anything similar again. Instead, he ignored the silent trio beside him and gave Jing Yuan some advice.

"You said he'd be watching the show tonight. Should I do something to get him on stage for a heartfelt duet with you?" She looked at Jingyuan teasingly.

Jing Yuan quickly waved his hand, "No, no, no, don't do that. Xiao Yuan isn't used to being watched by a lot of people. I'll introduce him to you all after this is over."

Bai Heng: "Oh dear, boys really are hard to keep at home once they grow up."

"Okay, I understand, I won't do that."

"But we can reserve the spot near the center of the stage for you, to make you even more eye-catching, how about that!"

"Thank you, Sister Bai Heng."

2.

At night, He Yuan arrived at the place Jing Yuan had arranged and listlessly looked at her phone.

He wore a mask to block out the smell of alcohol that he disliked.

If it weren't for Jing Yuan, He Yuan would never have come to a bar. He hates the smell of alcohol and rarely goes to such places.

But he really likes Jingyuan.

Why would someone agree to confess their feelings if they didn't like them?

...It's just not to the extent that Jingyuan likes it, but it is definitely my favorite right now.

Therefore, Crane and Kite can do some things as an exception.

Jingyuan knew his habits, so he arranged for the bartender to prepare lemon water for him in advance and provided him with a small booth to ensure a quiet environment.

Unless someone with no sense comes along.

The young man sitting in a secluded booth wore a mask, but his ink-black hair and beautiful blue-violet eyes were sending a signal—

She is a beauty.

The beautiful women in the bar attracted quite a few suitors.

Within five minutes of He Yuan sitting down, he received drinks from four guests, all of which he dismissively tossed aside without tasting a single drop.

The bar called "Luofu" is well-managed; there's no forced harassment. Refusing drinks is equivalent to refusing the person.

Each glass of wine was labeled with a seat number, and He Yuan could easily look up and take a look if she was interested.

Unfortunately, he was a blockhead who didn't understand romance and always ignored these people.

He Yuan tapped on her phone and asked Jing Yuan when it would start.

Jingyuan: Right away! Right away!

Jingyuan: The seat I prepared for you has a great view, so be sure to look at me a lot!

Jingyuan: Xiaoyuan will definitely look at me more often, right?

He Yuan: Of course, you're my boyfriend, who else would I look at if not you?

He Yuan joked: "Does your band have other handsome guys?"

He spent three or four years abroad and hardly ever came back, so naturally he didn't know the current situation in China.

I think I've heard of Jingyuan's band name, "Yunshang Wuxiao," but I know nothing about it. I only vaguely remember that there was a handsome guy in the discussion among my classmates.

He Yuan naturally assumed it was Jing Yuan.

He and Jingyuan grew up together, and whichever school they attended, he was the school's most beautiful and handsome boy.

He gets angry whenever this is mentioned.

He Yuan was originally competing with Jing Yuan for the title of school heartthrob, but some blind fool photoshopped long hair onto him and encouraged everyone to vote for him on the school beauty's side.

That way, we won't have to fight over who the school heartthrob is.

Crane Kite: ......

He Yuan sulked for a week, and it wasn't until Jing Yuan used his allowance to treat him to KFC that he calmed down.

She seems a little too easy to appease.

However, considering that at the time, in addition to the two hundred yuan that was directly deposited into their meal cards each week, they only had twenty or thirty yuan in pocket money, such a meal was quite a luxury for Jingyuan, who was still a student.

So after that meal, He Yuan went in and out with Jing Yuan again.

After uttering those words, Jing Yuan fell into an unusual silence.

He asked: You... know absolutely nothing about our band?

Crane Kite: I just got back and haven't watched much.

Crane Kite: ...Could it really be true?

Jingyuan: Although I really don't want to admit it in front of my boyfriend, it's true. [White cat's resentful expression]

Jingyuan: In every poll for "Best Sexual Partner," I always come in last place...

He Yuan: But I feel that Yuan Mi is number one in my heart.

Crane Kite: In every aspect.

Jingyuan replied slowly: But you haven't experienced it yet, so how did you come to this conclusion?

He Yuan replied matter-of-factly: "I could tell."

Crane Kite: Isn't it said that men with a large bridge of the nose have a large penis, and also that they have a lot of body hair?

He Yuan: You don't have that much hair elsewhere, but you have a lot of hair!

Crane Kite: This can be considered as having abundant fur.

Jingyuan was immediately persuaded.

Or rather, he was very happy to be pampered by his boyfriend.

Bai Heng pulled Jing Liu, the lead singer of the band, to observe Jing Yuan. "Look at him grinning like an idiot on his phone. You can tell he's chatting with his boyfriend."

"I never expected that our youngest son, Jingyuan, would be the first to find a partner."

As for the other two—guitarist Ying Xing and keyboardist Dan Feng—they were completely uninvolved.

After all, this was Jing Yuan's personal matter, and they wouldn't ask too many questions before introducing the person.

Similarly, as long-term colleagues, they also need to maintain a certain distance from Jingyuan's boyfriend.

3.

It's time to go on stage.

In the dim light, they took to the stage one after another to begin their performance for the evening.

The brightest lights were overhead, illuminating each of them clearly and brightly lighting up the nearby booths.

Ying Xing raised his eyes, his gaze lingering on a certain spot as it swept over the booths. The sound of plucking the strings slowed down a little, then immediately caught up.

That is...

Before he could even utter that name in his heart, he saw the young man looking intently at Jing Yuan, gazing deeply into his eyes.

The glasses of wine on the table next to him were full, sitting forlornly in the darkness, seemingly neglected.

Ying Xing's eyes were dark and brooding. Her fingers, honed through years of practice, stopped moving half a beat. Her gaze, which had been diverted from her own, secretly fell on the young man, greedily taking in every inch of his skin.

Few people know that Yingxing once had a romantic encounter in a foreign land.

Back then, he went abroad with his mentor to attend a seminar. When he saw the radiant young man speaking on stage, his heart skipped a beat.

Until the very end, he searched for the other party's whereabouts and contact information, but to no avail.

Because someone else couldn't come and was brought in to fill in, "his" name won't be mentioned at the seminar.

Yingxing was devastated for several days, and could only comfort her longing by looking at the images left on her phone. She never missed a single overseas exchange trip after that.

Finding the right person in a vast sea of ​​people is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Yingxing never expected that "he" would come to her so easily, nor did she expect that "he" was her colleague's boyfriend.

Good news and bad news came at the same time.

4.

Unlike Yingxing, who was closer to the front of the stage and saw him immediately, Danfeng was positioned further back and was only rotated to the center during halftime, where he made eye contact with the young man wiping Jingyuan's sweat.

The shape of the beauty mark under his eye and the flesh of his lips were so familiar that they pulled him back to that beautiful night.

"Sir, is this place taken?"

Danfeng, who was enjoying the breeze on the balcony, heard a sound behind her and turned around to look.

Beneath the wooden mask adorned with irises was a youthful face, revealing a clear mix of innocence and confusion in its blue-purple eyes.

Danfeng nodded, leaned to one side, and his gaze lingered on the young man, locking onto the beauty mark under his eye that wasn't completely hidden.

The young man said thank you and kept his distance from him.

The moonlight shone on the young man at that moment, covering him with a faint halo, as if he were about to leave at any moment.

Danfeng had this misconception and actually reached out his hand.

Faced with the young man's questioning gaze, Danfeng blurted out, "You have leaves on your head, let me pick them off for you."

The young man did not doubt Danfeng's words and even lowered his head to make it easier for Danfeng to do so.

Danfeng's hand touched the young man's soft hair, gently brushed against it, and then withdrew it as if nothing had happened.

He clenched his fist, then opened it again, "It floated away."

The acting was terrible, but it was almost perfect when the mask was on.

The young man believed him and sincerely thanked him, saying, "Thank you!"

Danfeng paused for a moment, then took the opportunity to ask the young man's name.

"My name is Danfeng, what's your name?"

The young man was about to answer him, the two words almost escaping his lips, when his attention was drawn by a few shouts.

"Little kite—Little kite—"

A voice came from the garden, and the young man immediately raised his hand and waved, "Mom and Dad, I'm here!"

He nodded to Danfeng, thinking that he had already said his name, and immediately ran downstairs.

Danfeng stood there with her hand raised, looking at his retreating figure with disappointment.

In the end, all Danfeng got was a nickname with an uncertain character and the lower half of a face.

He went to look for it several times, just like Yingxing, but to no avail.

Now, it feels like a cruel joke of fate.

Danfeng found the young man, but he was already someone else's boyfriend.

Romantic relationships are fragile, but it is obviously immoral to steal a colleague's or friend's partner.

Danfeng could only suppress these feelings in her heart and soothe her dry throat with a sip of water.

5.

He Yuan kept looking at him!

Jingyuan, who had been staring at Heyuan for almost the entire time, thought to himself with a smug satisfaction.

After the performance, he jumped off the stage and sat next to He Yuan, snuggling up to her boyfriend.

"What did Xiao Yuan think of my performance?" Jing Yuan asked expectantly.

He Yuan didn't know much about music, so all she could say was, "It sounds beautiful, I really like it."

Jing Yuan understood and didn't ask any more questions. He brought over a fruit platter and placed it in front of him, then casually put the glasses of wine on the empty table on the other side.

"These are all your favorite foods, would you like some?"

After He Yuan took a few bites, Jing Yuan couldn't wait to show off and started feeding him, stuffing the young man's cheeks until they were bulging.

"No, stop stuffing him," He Yuan patted Jing Yuan's hand, "I can't eat anymore..."

Jingyuan obediently put down his fork.

He was still basking in the excitement of He Yuan agreeing to be his boyfriend, and was beaming like a peacock.

He Yuan had never seen him like this before, and found it very strange, so she gave him plenty of feedback.

To onlookers, they looked like a lovey-dovey couple, inseparable.

He Yuan hadn't originally intended to be so indulgent.

But Jingyuan's eyes were so bright and sparkling that it was impossible to resist.

Naturally, they got closer and closer until Jing Yuan put his arm around his waist. There were four people sitting in the booth opposite them, two men and two women.

“These are the members of our band,” Jing Yuan introduced them one by one. “In order of age, the lead singer is Sister Jing Liu, the drummer is Sister Bai Heng, the keyboardist is Brother Dan Feng, and the guitarist is Brother Ying Xing.”

Hearing him call her "brother" and "sister" repeatedly, He Yuan quietly asked him, "I'm not going to start calling you that too, am I?"

Isn't that being too overly familiar?

Jingyuan: "No need, just do as you please."

As Jing Yuan mentioned before the meeting, He Yuan is naturally free-spirited and may speak in a rather familiar or direct manner. If there is any dissatisfaction, just talk to Jing Yuan.

He'll use nice words.

Bai Heng asked incredulously, "Have you always been like this?"

Jing Yuan nodded. "Yes, is there a problem?"

Xiao Yuan is usually quite lazy, so Jing Yuan helps her with many things, which he's long been used to.

Rather, he enjoyed helping He Yuan with her tasks, which meant their relationship was closer.

From childhood to adulthood, Jingyuan has helped Heyuan deal with countless love letters.

—This was permitted by He Yuan.

One morning, He Yuan frowned at the things in the drawer and went straight to Jing Yuan, who was her deskmate, for help.

"Yuanmi, please help me with this."

Jingyuan acted accordingly.

Another day has passed, and so does another.

He Yuan called out "Yuan Mi," and Jing Yuan immediately took action.

Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6...

About half a month later, He Yuan couldn't take it anymore and told Jing Yuan, who would come to morning training every day, "If you see this, just deal with it for me. You don't need to ask me."

From then on, Jingyuan gained this right, and the admiration of others could no longer reach Heyuan.

Crane Kite was completely unaware of this.

He always felt that Jingyuan was reliable, so he entrusted more of his work to Jingyuan.

This allowed Jing Yuan to drive all her admirers away from He Yuan all by herself.

Occasionally, when He Yuan laments, "Why doesn't anyone confess their feelings to me?", Jing Yuan always says, "That's because they feel they're not good enough for you."

That's normal.

There are few in this world who can match He Yuan's beauty.

He Yuan thought Jing Yuan's words made sense and stopped worrying about it.

Then it was time to go abroad.

Jing Yuan became unusually anxious, giving He Yuan many instructions, fearing that he might be kidnapped by someone if he wasn't careful.

He Yuan patted his head, "Oh dear, my mom and dad went with me, why are you so worried? Why don't you come find me sooner?"

Your uncles and aunts will care about your studies, but they won't care about your love life!

Jingyuan was anxious.

Even if he knew that his face was comparable to He Yuan's, and that such people were rare in the world, what if he was one of them?

What if there's one that's really good-looking?

For the first time, Jing Yuan hated his own hesitation.

Why couldn't he have confessed his feelings when he graduated from high school?

However, he was afraid that He Yuan would confuse family affection with romantic love, which would end up causing a huge mess, so he planned to postpone it for a few years.

Looking back now, I should have acted sooner; he would have turned even family ties into romantic love!

But now, Jingyuan can only say "okay," and then frequently contact Heyuan, spending all his free time abroad and keeping a close watch on Heyuan's surroundings.

Fortunately, they are now finally in a romantic relationship.

Faced with He Yuan's question, Jing Yuan remained as reliable as ever, making the young man greet the person opposite him with a happy expression.

"Hello, Kagami-nee."

"Hello."

"Hello, Sister Bai Heng."

Hello, little crane kite~

"Hello, Danfeng... Brother?"

When He Yuan greeted Dan Feng, she felt that he looked familiar and asked in confusion, "Have we met somewhere before?"

The hand holding He Yuan's waist suddenly tightened.

Danfeng rubbed her fingers together, as if savoring the touch of her hair that night, and whispered, "We went out for some fresh air together on the balcony."

He Yuan suddenly realized and whispered to Jing Yuan, "He's the brother I was talking about who helped me pick leaves, the one who's handsome just by looking at half of his face!"

Jingyuan: "...Is that so?"

He scratched He Yuan's waist and whispered in the young man's ear, "Little Yuan, are you sure you want to praise his looks in front of me?"

He Yuan belatedly realized that she might have done something to upset her boyfriend, and immediately said, "No, not as handsome as you..."

Jing Yuan loosened his grip slightly and watched He Yuan continue with a smile.

Fortunately, the next Yingxing was peaceful.

6.

After a brief conversation, the group prepared to go home and rest.

He Yuan got into the car with Jing Yuan and, as if familiar with the place, took out a bag of potato chips from the car and ate them.

"I didn't expect your band to be so good-looking. Did you have some requirements regarding appearance when you formed the band?"

Jingyuan explained, "No, it's all just a coincidence."

To be honest, he found the reasons why Danfeng and Yingxing joined quite strange.

One of them has a family business to inherit, and the other is a disciple of the famous master craftsman Huaiyan. They don't seem like the type to be in a band.

Jingyuan didn't mean that they couldn't be a band, he was just... very surprised.

Moreover, these two didn't write any reasons at the time, yet Bai Heng approved their applications, which is quite amazing.

In short, this group of people, all of whom are quite accomplished, formed a band.

While not exactly a household name across the country, they are certainly quite well-known.

As long as you're willing to spend money on marketing, becoming famous isn't a problem.

But the team unanimously refused to do it.

The money from each performance was split equally, and then everyone went home to their own families.

Jingyuan recounted these events in detail, bringing them to his home.

He and He Yuan's parents were away from home most of the year, leaving them alone at home.

But Jingyuan's house still has Jingyuan, and it has everything; although Heyuan's house is cleaned regularly, it is still missing many things.

Thinking of this, He Yuan simply said, "I'll sleep at your house."

Jing Yuan opened his mouth but didn't refuse, "Then I'll go prepare a guest room for you."

He Yuan pulled him close, her arm pressed against his, her face full of doubt: "Can't I share a room with you?"

Isn't this how people used to live?

In the past few years, whenever Jingyuan came to visit him, he always stayed in the same room.

Jingyuan didn't know how to explain.

We used to be friends, and even if he had some dark thoughts, I wouldn't let myself take a step out of his arms because of our relationship.

Now that they're lovers, he can take anything he does for granted, and he's afraid he might do something inappropriate.

“I…” Jing Yuan tried to be as truthful as possible, “I’m afraid I won’t be able to control myself.”

He Yuan pressed further, "How could you not control yourself?"

Before Jing Yuan could answer, he suddenly realized, "You want to kiss me, you want to sleep with me, you want to have sex with me, right?"

Jing Yuan closed his eyes and nodded.

The next moment, a warm touch came from my lips.

"I like you, and we're lovers, so isn't it only natural to do these things?"

He opened his eyes and saw the young man's smiling face.

The soft sensation lingered on his lips, making Jingyuan unable to resist savoring that fleeting sweetness.

Jing Yuan observed He Yuan's expression and asked, "Don't you think it's too fast?"

He Yuan retorted, "Where is it fast? Aren't these things we'll be doing in the future? It's okay to do them ahead of time, isn't it?"

"I like you, and you like me. That alone is enough for us to do it."

Jingyuan was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to explain the intricacies of the situation.

Why is Xiao Yuan like this...? How could he...?

Jingyuan couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he found Heyuan's idea strange.

“It’s not enough for two people to just like each other,” Jingyuan explained. “It also depends on their status. For example, if one person is married and the other is unmarried, it’s immoral for them to do this. It’s an act of infidelity.”

He Yuan looked at him strangely: "We're not married."

The implication is that if two people like each other but aren't married, of course they can.

Jing Yuan gave up completely, a dangerous glint in his golden eyes. "Xiao Yuan, are you sure you want tonight? You should be fine tomorrow, right?"

He Yuan nodded, "Yes, I finished my studies abroad quite early, and the PhD I applied for here won't start until next month. I'm free lately."

Jing Yuan's lips curled up. "How about you stay here with me for a while? It's close to the university, so I can take you to and from school and cook for you..."

There are still many things it can do.

He Yuan thought the suggestion was excellent and immediately nodded in agreement.

"So, tonight...?"

The young man looked at her expectant face, completely unaware of what awaited him ahead.

Jing Yuan chuckled, "I'll satisfy you tonight, and prove my strength, okay? But before we begin, go and freshen up."

"Doesn't Xiao Yuan hate dirt?"

He Yuan thought about it and agreed.

According to his accumulated theoretical knowledge, this kind of thing requires a very close physical contact. Whether it's the other person or oneself, if one is not clean, it will be very torturous.

He listened to Jing Yuan and went to wash up, but mischievously slipped naked into Jing Yuan's bed.

I won't go into the details of what happened, but all you need to know is that Jing Yuan went to work the next day with a bright red tooth mark on his face.

Initially, it did meet He Yuan's expectations; it was very comfortable and enjoyable. However, later on, this enjoyment became unbearable.

It was still enjoyable, but... I just couldn't take it. All I could do was beg for mercy, only to be met with even worse treatment.

He Yuan felt she didn't want to do it again for at least a week.

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Author's Note: Note: The ending of this side story is that the protagonist and his wife will sleep together in the same bed (barring any unforeseen circumstances).

I seem to have written too much; let me see how to shorten it...